THE JEWS

The documents in the following section illustrate the anomalous position of the Jews in England, the nature of the royal protection, which accorded them a security due to them as the king's personal property (No. 1), the restrictions put upon their religious and social life (No. 2) and upon their possession of land (No. 6), the summary treatment dealt out to them if they failed to fulfil their function (No. 3), or dwelt outside the narrow range of a Jewry-town (No. 4), the arbitrary manner in which they were transferred from person to person, or uprooted from one town and transplanted (Nos. 5 and 7), and the manner of their expulsion (No. 8).

Their function in the state was twofold, to supply the crown at any moment with ready money, and to act as a channel for the conveyance to the king of the property of his subjects. The degree of their usefulness must be gauged by the provisions of their charter (No. 1). It is reasonable to suppose that their expulsion was only determined on when the crown had drained their resources, or when, as was the case, there were other supplies available from a class of financiers less obnoxious to the racial and religious prejudices of the age. The place of the Jews was immediately occupied by the merchants of Lucca, and later by the Friscobaldi, the Bardi and Peruzzi and other wealthy societies of Italian merchant-bankers.

AUTHORITIES

1. Charter of Liberties to the Jews[80] [Charter Roll, 2 John, m. 5.], 1201.

John by the grace of God, etc. Know ye that we have granted to all Jews of England and Normandy that they may freely and honourably reside in our land, and hold of us all things that they held of King Henry, our father's grandfather, and all things that they now hold reasonably in their lands and fees and pawns and purchases, and that they may have all their liberties and customs as well and peaceably and honourably as they had them in the time of the aforesaid King Henry, our father's grandfather.

And if a plaint shall have arisen between Christian and Jew, he who shall have appealed the other shall have witnesses for the deraignment of his plaint, to wit, a lawful Christian and a lawful Jew. And if the Jew shall have a writ touching his plaint, his writ shall be his witness; and if a Christian shall have a plaint against a Jew, it shall be judged by the Jew's peers.

And when a Jew be dead, his body shall not be detained above ground, but his heir shall have his money and his debts; so that he be not disturbed thereon, if he have an heir who will answer for him and do right touching his debts and his forfeit.

And it shall be lawful for Jews without hindrance to receive and buy all things which shall be brought to them, except those which are of the Church and except cloth stained with blood. And if a Jew be appealed by any man without witness, he shall be quit of that appeal by his bare oath upon his Book. And in like manner he shall be quit of an appeal touching those things which pertain to our crown, by his bare oath upon his Roll.

And if there shall be dispute between Christian and Jew touching the loan of any money, the Jew shall prove his principal and the Christian the interest.

And it shall be lawful for the Jew peaceably to sell his pawn after it shall be certain that he has held it for a whole year and a day.

And Jews shall not enter into a plea save before us or before those who guard our castles, in whose bailiwicks Jews dwell.

And wherever there be Jews, it shall be lawful for them to go whithersoever they will with all their chattels, as our own goods, and it shall be unlawful for any to retain them or to forbid them this freedom.

And we order that they be quit throughout all England and Normandy of all customs and tolls and prisage of wine, as our own chattel. And we command and order you that you guard and defend and maintain them.

And we forbid any man to implead them touching these things aforesaid against this charter, on pain of forfeiture to us, as the charter of King Henry, our father, reasonably testifies. Witnesses; Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex; William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke; Henry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford; Robert de Turnham; William Briwere; etc. Dated by the hand of Simon, Archdeacon of Wells, at Marlborough, on the 10th day of April in the second year of our reign.

2. Ordinances of 1253[81] [Close Roll, 37 Henry III, m. 18].

The King has provided and decreed, etc., that no Jew dwell in England unless he do the King service, and that as soon as a Jew shall be born, whether male or female, in some way he shall serve the King. And that there be no communities of the Jews in England save in those places wherein such communities were in the time of the lord King John, the King's father. And that in their synagogues the Jews, one and all, worship in subdued tones according to their rite, so that Christians hear it not. And that all Jews answer to the rector of the parish in which they dwell for all parochial dues belonging to their houses. And that no Christian nurse hereafter suckle or nourish the male child of any Jew, and that no Christian man or woman serve any Jew or Jewess, nor eat with them, nor dwell in their house. And that no Jew or Jewess eat or buy meat in Lent. And that no Jew disparage the Christian faith, nor publicly dispute touching the same. And that no Jew have secret intercourse with any Christian woman, nor any Christian man with a Jewess. And that every Jew wear on his breast a conspicuous badge. And that no Jew enter any church or any chapel save in passing through, nor stay therein to the dishonour of Christ. And that no Jew in any wise hinder another Jew willing to be converted to the Christian faith. And that no Jew be received in any town without the special licence of the King, save in those towns wherein Jews have been wont to dwell.[82]

And the justices appointed to the guardianship of the Jews are commanded to cause these provisions to be carried into effect and straitly kept on pain of forfeiture of the goods of the Jews aforesaid. Witness the King at Westminster on the 31st day of January.

By the King and Council.

3. Expulsion of a Jew[83] [Jews' Plea Rolls, 6, m. 8], 1253.

The King, etc., to the sheriff of Kent, etc. Know that we caused to be assessed before us upon Salle, a Jew, a tallage to be rendered on Wednesday next before Whitsunday in the thirty-seventh year, and because the same Jew rendered not his tallage on the said day, and on the same day received a command on our behalf before the justices [appointed to the guardianship of the Jews] that within three days after the aforesaid Wednesday he should make his way to the port of Dover to go forth there with his wife and never to return, saving to the King his lands [rents and tenements and chattels]: We command you that by oath of twelve [good and lawful men] you make diligent enquiry what lands [rents and tenements and chattels] he had on the said day, and who [holds or hold the same] and how much they are worth, saving the service, etc., and how much they are worth for sale; and that you enquire also by oath, etc., what chattels he had in all chirographs outside the chest, and what they are worth, and to whose hands they have come, and that you cause proclamation to be made that none of Salle's debtors hereafter render a penny to him,—let the proclamation be made in every hundred, city, etc.,—and that you take into our hand all the lands, rents and tenements and chattels aforesaid, and keep them safely until [we make other order thereon]; and let the inquisition come on the morrow of Holy Trinity.

4. Punishment for Non-residence in a Jewry[84] [Jews' Plea Rolls, 6, m. 7d.], 1270.

Devon. Because Jacob of Norwich, a Jew, dwells at Honiton without the King's licence, where there is no community of Jews, the sheriff is ordered to take into the King's hand all goods and chattels of Jacob, and to keep them safely until [the King make other order thereon], and to have his body before [the justices appointed to the guardianship of the Jews] on the octave of Holy Trinity, to answer, etc.; and to certify [the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer] what goods [and chattels] of the said Jacob he has taken, On the same day, etc.

5. Grant of a Jew[85] [Jews' Plea Rolls, 6, m. 10], 1271.

Henry, etc., to all, etc., greeting. Whereas we have given and granted to Edmund, our dearest son, Aaron, son of Vives, a Jew of London, with all his goods and chattels and other things which may pertain to us touching the aforesaid Jew; We, at the instance of our aforesaid son, willing to show more abundant grace to the aforesaid Aaron, grant that in all pleas moved or to be moved for or against him, there be associated with the justices appointed to the guardianship of the Jews, on behalf of and by the choice of our son, an assessor to hear and determine those pleas according to the Law and Custom of Jewry. We have granted also to the same Jew that by licence of our aforesaid son he may give and sell his debts to whomsoever he will, and that any man soever may buy them, notwithstanding the Provision made of late that no Jew may sell his debts to any Christians, and that no Christian may buy the same, without our will and licence. In witness whereof, etc. Witness myself at Westminster on the—— day of January in the 55th year of our reign.

6. Ordinances of 1271[86] [Patent Roll, 55 Henry III, m. 10d.].

The King to his beloved and trusty men, his Mayor and Sheriffs of London, and to all his bailiffs and trusty men to whom [these present letters shall come], greeting. Know ye that to the honour of God and the Church Universal, and for the amendment and profit of our land and the relief of Christians from the damages and burdens which they have borne on account of the freeholds which the Jews of our realm claim to have in lands, tenements, fees, rents and other holdings; and that prejudice may not grow hereafter to us or the commonalty of our realm or to the realm itself: We have provided by the counsel of the prelates, magnates and chiefs who are of our council, and also have ordained and decreed for us and our heirs that no Jew have a freehold in manors, lands, tenements, fees, rents and holdings whatsoever by charter, gift, feoffment, confirmation or any other obligation, or in any other wise; so however that they may dwell hereafter in their houses in which they themselves dwell in cities, boroughs or other towns, and may have them as they have been wont to have them in times past; and also that they may lawfully let to Jews only and not to Christians other their houses, which they have to let; so, however, that it be not lawful for our Jews of London to buy or in any other wise purchase[87] more houses than they now have in our city of London, whereby the parish churches of the same city or the rectors of the same may incur loss. Nevertheless the same Jews of London shall be able to repair their ancient houses and buildings formerly demolished and destroyed, and restore them at their will to their former condition. We have also provided and decreed by the same our council that touching their houses aforesaid to be dwelt in or let, as is aforesaid, no Jew plead or be able to plead by our original writs of Chancery but only before our justices appointed to the guardianship of the Jews by the writs of Jewry hitherto used and accustomed. Touching lands and holdings, however, whereof Jews were enfeoffed before the present Statute, which also they now hold, we will that such infeudations and gifts be totally annulled, and that the lands and tenements remain to the Christians who demised the same to them; so, however, that the Christians satisfy the Jews of the money or chattel specified in their charters and chirographs,[88] which the Jews gave to the Christians for such gift or infeudation, without interest; with this condition added, that if those Christians cannot satisfy them thereof forthwith, it be lawful for the Jews aforesaid to demise those tenements to other Christians, until their chattels can be levied therefrom without interest by reasonable extent, according to the true value of the same, saving, however, to the Christians their lodging, so that the Jew receive therefrom his money or chattel by the hands of Christians and not of Jews, as is aforesaid. And if it happen that any Jew hereafter receive feoffment from any Christian of any fee or tenement against the present Statute, the Jew shall altogether lose the said tenement or fee, and the same shall be taken into our hand and kept safely, and those Christians or their heirs shall have again that land or tenement from our hand; so, however, that they then pay to us the whole sum of money which they received from the Jews for such feoffment; or if their means are not sufficient therefor, then they shall render to us and our heirs at our Exchequer yearly the true value of those tenements or fees, by true and reasonable extent of the same, until we be fully satisfied of such money or chattel.

Moreover touching nurses of young children, bakers, brewers, and cooks employed by Jews, because Jews and Christians are diverse in faith, we have provided and decreed that no Christian man or woman presume to minister to them in the aforesaid services.

And because Jews have long been wont to receive by the hands of Christians certain rents of lands and tenements of Christians as in perpetuity, which rents were also called fees, we will and have decreed that the Statute made of late by us thereon remain in full force, and be not impaired in any wise by the present Statute.

And therefore we command, straitly enjoining on you, that you cause the Provision, Ordinance and Statute aforesaid to be publicly proclaimed throughout your whole bailiwick, and to be straitly kept and observed. In witness whereof, etc. Witness the King at Westminster, July 25.

In the same manner order is made to the several sheriffs throughout England.

7. Removal of Jewish Communities from certain Towns to Others[89] [Jews' Plea Rolls, 18, m. 6], 1275.

By writ of the lord the King directed to the justices in these words:—Whereas by our letters patent we have granted to our dearest mother, Eleanor, Queen of England, that no Jew shall dwell or stay in any towns which she holds in dower by assignment of the lord King Henry, our father, and of ourself, within our realm, so long as the same towns be in her hand; and for this cause we have provided that the Jews of Marlborough be transferred to our town of Devizes, the Jews of Gloucester to our town of Bristol, the Jews of Worcester to our town of Hereford, and the Jews of Cambridge to our city of Norwich, with their Chirograph Chests, and with all their goods, and that henceforth they dwell and stay in the aforesaid towns and city among the rest of our Jews there: We command you that you cause the aforesaid Jews of Marlborough, Gloucester, Worcester and Cambridge to be removed from those towns, without doing any damage to them in respect of their persons or their goods, and to transfer themselves to the places aforesaid with their Chirograph Chests, as safely to our use as you shall think it may be done. Witness myself at Clarendon on the 16th day of January in the third year of our reign.

The sheriffs of the counties aforesaid, and the constables, are ordered to cause the aforesaid Jews to be transferred to the places aforesaid.

8. Disposition of Debts Due to Jews after Their Expulsion[90] [Close Roll, 18 Edward I, m. 1], 1290.

Edward etc. to the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer, greeting. Whereas formerly in our Parliament at Westminster on the quinzaine of St. Michael in the third year of our reign, to the honour of God and the profit of the people of our realm, we ordained and decreed that no Jew thenceforth should lend anything at usury to any Christian on lands, rents or other things, but that they should live by their commerce and labour; and the same Jews, afterwards maliciously deliberating among themselves, contriving a worse sort of usury which they called courtesy (curialitatem), have depressed our people aforesaid on all sides under colour thereof, the last offence doubling the first; whereby, for their crimes and to the honour of the Crucified, we have caused those Jews to go forth from our realm as traitors: We, wishing to swerve not from our former choice, but rather to follow it, do make totally null and void all manner of penalties and usuries and every sort thereof, which could be demanded by actions by reason of the Jewry from any Christians of our realm for any times whatsoever; wishing that nothing be in any wise demanded from the Christians aforesaid by reason of the debts aforesaid, save only the principal sums which they received from the Jews aforesaid; the amount of which debts we will that the Christians aforesaid verify before you by the oath of three good and lawful men by whom the truth of the matter may the better be known, and thereafter pay the same to us at terms convenient to them to be fixed by you. And therefore we command you that you cause our said grace so piously granted to be read in the aforesaid Exchequer, and to be enrolled on the rolls of the same Exchequer, and to be straitly kept, according to the form above noted. Witness myself at King's Clipstone on the 5th day of November in the eighteenth year of our reign.

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